CREATE A BRAND STATEMENT

EVERY BUSINESS NEEDS A BRAND STATEMENT MESSAGE

THE PROBLEM: "I know I should have a brand statement...but I don't even know where to begin!"

THE SOLUTION: My 4-step process that forces you to ask...and answer...the very questions that will help you arrive at an authentic brand statement that you love.

You've heard it called your "why"...or an elevator pitch...and you might even have one.

You might have it on your website or you might have it 1/2 written as a stiff "statement" that you've tried to memorize.

But when you're asked to repeat it at one of those photography seminars in front of your photography friends, you awkwardly recite it like it's a 6th-grade homework assignment.

Fast-forward to real-life business in 2017: the modern-business branding statement.

You need one. And...you need to get this right. Finally. Once and for all.

I'm not talking about a "memorized statement" that makes you feel cold as ice when you have to repeat it.

I'm talking about an amazing, exciting description of the people you serve and how you serve them, packed into 2 or 3 sentences that roll off your tongue "like buttah".

It should make the person you're telling actually feel like it's an irresistible invitation to step into your world, now. Like, right now.

This branding statement stuff is important. Really important.

Why? Because when you get it right you will finally have clarity about your brand and who your audience is that you're wanting to connect with.

There are 4 questions that you should spend time with in formulating your brand statement.

These 4 questions seem very simple, but if you spend time really contemplating the answers, you'll arrive at the basis of your entire brand.

The authentic answers will come when you really invest some real time with this process.

You can ask for feedback from recent clients to help you with number 4, but in the end the answers all have to feel legitimate and honest to you.

If you can answer these 4 questions, you'll ultimately arrive at the foundation of your branding statement:

THE ACTION STEPS

Ready? Here we go.

01. YOUR SPECIALTY: WHO ARE YOU? And what are you all about?

02. YOUR SERVICE: WHAT DO YOU DO? Okay, so you "take pictures"...but...of what? What is it that you exactly do?

03. YOUR AUDIENCE: WHO DO YOU SERVE? No really. Who...do you serve? If you were to describe your client to me, who would that be? Where do they hang out? Who are you trying to bring into your business to experience you and your brand? Who do you DO all of this for?

04. YOUR STAR QUALITY: WHAT IS YOUR *IT* FACTOR? I know you just answered #1...and #2...and it feels like you pretty much summed up who you are and what you do. But what makes you stand out from everyone else? Why should I book you to take my photos? What's extra special about you and your process?

Arriving at the authentic and descriptive answers to these questions can be tedious. At first, they seem overly obvious.

But in the end, these answers should arrive at the very essence of your less-than-60-second "elevator pitch" to anyone who asks you "what you do".

The answer should HOOK them into wanting to know more about you and your service.